This 2013 $5 1/10th ounce coin is the 5th in the Royal Canadian Mint's exciting new O Canada sub series focusing on iconic Canadian animals, this beautiful coin celebrates one of Canada's most fascinating marine species, the orca. Mintage is limited to 4,000. HST/GST exempt.

The Design:

The reverse design by Canadian artists Pierre Leduc presents a three-quarter profile portrait of an orca emerging from the water, seeming to gaze at the viewer with the curiosity of a wise and intelligent species. Its two pectoral fins jut forward, helping the orca keep its large head above water. Around it rise whitecapped waves of splashing water. In the background, we see the tall, straight dorsal of a mature male, curved large dorsal of a female, and small curved dorsal of an orca calf in the distant waters, members, no doubt, of this beautiful animal's family group or pod. In the distance, the shoreline of Canada's Northwest Pacific coast is visible, with its rugged outcroppings and tall evergreens.